Friday, February 12, 2010

Data in motion is protected health information, or PHI, that is transmitted electronically to a third party through use of email, FTP or other communication. Any time you move information from your computer or server, it is an absolute necessity that you fully comply with the NIST standards. This law applies primarily to the medical community since they are privy to extremely sensitive patient information that should never be made available to non-secure parties.

Private patient information can be extremely detrimental in the wrong hands. With such sensitive information, a patient's life could potentially be ruined. Diseases and other health related info can affect a patient's finances, health coverage, career and personal life if the relevant specifics fall into an enemy's lap. HIV test results are a perfect example of this problem at work, and the reason for confidentiality becomes abundantly clear when you think of fatal and contagious diseases like this one. For these reasons the federal government has stepped in with a set of laws to protect the rights of patients, and they are ready to enforce these laws upon the medical community with a stern resolve.

Some companies offer a cost-effective solution to the problem of compliance. Some of these programs work wonders on your current technology and daily processes so that you never again have to worry about accidentally transmitting some privileged patient info. An online on-demand application that satisfies all the NIST requirements for protecting medical information in motion, this exclusive system could be the answer to your prayers. Some of the encryption employed in the program even allows your company to take advantage of the Safe Harbor Rule, meaning your organization will be exempt from having to report a breach if encryption is part of your compliance topography.

There is no doubt that data in motion has become the greatest threat to HITECH compliance. Many breaches have already occurred, meaning some type of data has leaked from one entity to another. This is completely unacceptable and definitely punishable by the new laws taking effect. It would therefore make sense to find a program that is an easy answer to making sure all your data in motion needs are met.

The American healthcare system is moving forward. Thanks to the HITECH Act of 2009, physicians and hospitals are encouraged with $19 billion dollars in spending to convert their old paper charts to new Electronic Health Records (EHR). Medical records and physician charts are essential for the smooth operation and delivery of optimal and continuous healthcare. These records must be available to the doctor or nurse at all times and should be easy to access when needed.

The thought of spending time and money to overhaul a fully-immersed and often entirely adequate paper system can be overwhelming to small medical practices. Smaller practices do not usually have the technological resources to keep up with new standards of protected health information (PHI) storage and delivery. However, it is possible for even small, rural community clinics to join the EHR system without needing to hire a full IT team.

Solo physician clinics and small medical practices may wonder why they need to change their system if they like it, it’s familiar, and – most importantly – it works. Paper charts with patient information offer little to no security or backup in case of physical damage. Insurance may cover the building and most of its’ contents in a fire or flood, but patient charts will be wiped clean and started anew. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of moving to an EHR system is the ability to save, maintain, update, and backup important patient personal health data.

Contrary to popular belief, HITECH compliance does not always require a large capital surplus to ensure your patient’s private data is backed-up and protected. Small medical practices can get away with spending a few thousand dollars to implement technology from a company that offers sizable, on-demand service.

Technological options for healthcare organizations have come a long way from the complex server or appliance based solutions. Several years ago, these were the only options and could cost upwards of $50,000. Even with that cost, these solutions were far from comprehensive and only provided part of the encryption protection required by HIPAA. “Cloud computing” has revolutionized the way we think about spending IT dollars and is quickly replacing former costly solutions.

“Cloud computing” is a term that refers to applications that can be leveraged over the internet. This type of solution eliminates the need for costly and confusing software packages or excessive servers requiring IT maintenance. Typically, the physician or practice will pay a per-user fee for access to a system that is maintained by a third party. This enables the application to be fully customized to fit a big metropolitan hospital or small rural community clinic.

About Author

With Hipaa data security you can protect your data in motion using software such as Encrypt-A-Note, a HITECH compliant and industry leading software, as a service secure messaging portal

Social Networking Portals and Social Networking Websites have been around for quite some time, perennially existing in the background with similar skeletons, but evolving with camouflages of augmentations that differentiate them and provide users with virtual accounts boasting of newer and better capabilities. The basic premise that Social Networking Portals were built on was to allow people from different countries across the globe to come together, socialize, find friends and more. But with the passage of time, advent of web 2.0 technologies and the realization of the true social and business potential of social networking; these Social Networking Websites have evolved into hybrid entities that provide an all-in-one solution to the dynamic needs of the present-day user.

If we cast a glance at the contemporary innovations that have surfaced in the social networking arena, we would be astonished at the far-reaching concepts that have been conceived. Political leaderships during campaigns have leveraged social networking to reach a wide voter base with a hope to garnering their support before elections. Popular platforms like Twitter and Facebook have proved to be apt solutions for reaching out to the younger voter base. Celebrities have realized the true potential to increasing their popularity and garnering a better fan base through social networking. Famous prima donnas, luminaries and icons like 50 Cent, Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen, Alicia Keys, popular band Radiohead have developed personalized social networking portals that cater to their fan base and captivate a mammoth audience on a global scale. Online recruitment has gone the social networking way with personalities like Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake have recruited band members online. As is the case with every innovation, social networking has also met its detrimental uses with sites like Enemybook and Snubster being used for spoofing popular portals with similar names. Social networking portals for the elite class have been developed which cater to the chosen select few, allowing them to socialize and meet personalities of the same stature. Synchronized jamming sessions on MySpace are the latest rage among musicians who are located at distant geographical locations. Social networking portals based on popular hobbies and interests like shopping, fashion etc… are also a trend that’s catching on lately.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The new 13-inch widescreen Apple MacBook is the powerful new value laptop, replacing the Apple iBook. Available in both white and black colors, the MacBook is Apple's first completely redesigned Intel-based laptop in the thin and light spectrum. Although this laptop is meant to be thin-and-light, weighing 5.2 pounds is relatively heavy for its size. But built to last, the MacBook is composed of a durable polycarbonate shell that provides a unique solid feel. The brightly lit, glossy widescreen display is breathtaking, and the keyboard is top notch in comfort and tactile feedback.

The MacBook's new features have raised the standard for what value-focused laptop should be. While the rest of Apple's computers have simply just received Intel chips in similar enclosures to their PowerPC predecessors (like the MacBook Pro), the MacBook was built from the ground up using Intel's fast and efficient Core Duo processor. The MacBook is arguably the ultimate companion for students and even business professionals since Apple officially supports Windows XP via the BootCamp software.

Some major improvements over the iBook include a wider trackpad, magnetic LCD closure, MagSafe AC adaptor, fantastic keyboard (which can easily be removed for disassembly), and a built-in iSight webcam. Apple has also recently upgraded their iLife suite of software packages, as well as its Front Row multimedia software. Meanwhile, other hardware improvements include improved feet on bottom of the laptop so that they do not fall off, as well as internal improvements including customer replaceable hard drive, digital audio-input, extensive wireless connectivity options, extend desktop support with external display, and extended battery life. However, if you are a high performance user, hardcore gamer or graphic designer you may want to consider Apple's MacBook Pro lineup for more horsepower and standard performance features.